Best Of
Re: Blessings
...From time to time in the years to come, I hope you will be treated unfairly, so that you will come to know the value of justice. I hope that you will suffer betrayal because that will teach you the importance of loyalty. Sorry to say, but I hope you will be lonely from time to time so that you don’t take friends for granted. I wish you bad luck, again, from time to time so that you will be conscious of the role of chance in life and understand that your success is not completely deserved and that the failure of others is not completely deserved either. And when you lose, as you will from time to time, I hope every now and then, your opponent will gloat over your failure. It is a way for you to understand the importance of sportsmanship. I hope you’ll be ignored so you know the importance of listening to others, and I hope you will have just enough pain to learn compassion. Whether I wish these things or not, they’re going to happen. And whether you benefit from them or not will depend upon your ability to see the message in your misfortunes. ~John Roberts
person
Re: What movies are you watching?
Quite an arty film. Not sure if it was worth my time but then I am not the only viewer
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13049968/
Preferred this ...
lobster
Re: Blessings
Today I watched the movie "Mary" about the mother of Baby Jesus.
But today I think it is time to renew my vows as a Blessing
- Today I burnt the porridge again. From this I learned the importance of single tasking when in the kitchen. Food even burnt can be used to feed the Hungry Ghost realms. It is a blessing for them...
- May we all bless our Blessings
- May all find, know and practice wisdom (even part time or as a hobby)
- May we distill our stillness
- May we Be the Auspicious, The Buddha, The Dharma and Sangha
Have a great year everyone 
lobster
Re: What movies are you watching?
Exactly — it is. But at the same time it is training the brain with fake stuff. We like stories because we think it is a shortcut to wisdom and experience, but in reality most of the stories told to us are not of that type anymore.
Far from being about wisdom and experience, most stories these days seem to revolve around young people’s issues. By the time we feel we have acquired our own wisdom, people stop looking for it in movies. Which means that the stories which encapsulate true wisdom, kind of disappear from the movie landscape.
I came across a mention of what Robin Williams said inspired him to pursue comedy, and that was watching Stanley Kubrick’s film Dr Strangelove. He never understood before that how comedy could hit so hard, and be so relevant.
Jeroen
Re: What documentary are you watching?
For the anxious, it’s all about fake it till you make it, or better yet, feel the fear and do it anyway. You might be surprised at what happens.
Every morning on my jolk (a mix of jogging and walking), I pass people I know, and we always share a greeting, sometimes also having a bit of a laugh and joke. Then there are the strangers—those I hit with a surprise 'Good morning!' Some are off in their own world, and my greeting gives them a bit of a jolt. But they usually bounce back and manage a return 'Hello,' often with a smile thrown in for good measure.
Most people, I’ve found, love to be acknowledged with a simple hello or good morning. It’s a small thing, but it can lift their spirits, distract them from their worries, and brighten both our days.
Shoshin1
Re: Just for fun: the random, useless announcements thread!
When I was 14 I stepped on a stingray,…still remember how painful it was…. On the way to the ER, I chewed holes thru a beach towel.
Vastmind
Re: What documentary are you watching?
I thought this was really interesting, a short docu about “When was the last time you talked to strangers?” By the Dutch television producers VPRO Tegenlicht, who make kind of ‘unusual, against the grain docus’.
It’s mostly in English.
Jeroen